


Little things

by Lupi



Category: Persona 4
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-02-26
Packaged: 2018-09-27 03:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9952760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupi/pseuds/Lupi
Summary: Yosuke realises what Teddie means to him. Very Slight Yosuke x Chie and I guess you could interpret the relationship as Yosuke x Teddie. More of a fuzzy, introspective sort of thing.





	

It is funny how one small sentence can change your life. At the time, he probably didn’t even notice it, and looking back, all he can remember from that moment on that bright summer day was the sun in his eyes and the screaming of a child from across the food court. He imagined, looking back, that Yu had probably been smiling in his usual kind, sympathetic way, and knowing himself as he did, he’d probably protested volubly. He should have taken more notice, he supposed, but he didn’t know then that Yu’s words would have such an impact on him.

Unthinkable - yeah, that sounded about right – it was unthinkable, something so stupid and impossible and at the time he was sure he believed that too, but Yu had probably just smiled in that sweet, patient way of his and had moved the conversation to safer grounds.

It was funny that he couldn’t remember anything else about that day, just Yu’s soft voice and those five words he had said.

“I think he likes you.”

\---- ----

He didn’t notice it himself until Chie pointed it out during one of her teasing sessions – and he chalked it up as another one of Teddie’s annoying traits, and there were plenty of them. Sometimes Yosuke was even irritated by just the sound of his voice, although there were plenty of other things he found to annoy him whenever Teddie was around – his inane chatter, his squeaking shoes, his sparkles… everything about Teddie had the power to annoy him and most days it did.

Chie had been talking with her mouth full, as usual, and was waving her steak croquette around in his general direction he remembered that – he’d always thought she was kind of cute when she did that, although he’d never admitted that to anybody, ever. Admitting to liking Chie was like granting everybody everywhere a right to say ‘I told you so’ – they’d always said the two of them would end up together. They didn’t but not because of a lack of liking each other – it was more like complete determination not to go along with everyone’s expectations on both their parts. 

“If he’s in trouble he always goes to you.” Chie had said, “I wonder why?”

She’d followed this up by pointing out Yosuke’s many failings at playing supporting role, and how much better Teddie would be if he ran to Yu with his problems like he did when he wanted awkward questions answering, and they’d had a good argument about it, just like they always did. It was their way of bonding and as much as they fought, they never really fell out.

“You always fix them too, Yosuke.” Chie had said as they parted, laughing and smiling as if they hadn’t just been yelling at each other for the last half-hour. It took him a while to figure out she had been talking about Teddie.

\---- ----

He didn’t understand – humans were too complicated, he said and Yosuke was no good at explaining things. Well, how Yosuke _could_ try to explain something he didn’t understand himself? Teddie always asked the stupidest things – why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why are clouds? Why can’t you see the wind blow? Why do people fall in love? – and Yosuke couldn’t answer, he wasn’t the smartest person in the world to begin with and he had never been good at the deep stuff. Invariably Teddie would become exasperated with him and Yosuke would get irritated.

Perhaps he had been relieved when Teddie decided to favour Yu as the one to turn to when he was curious but part of him, a little unacknowledged part of his psyche, had been hurt by Teddie’s abandonment. He’d been overlooked again. He wasn’t the popular one.

\---- ----

He had never seen Rise laughing so much. He had never been so mortified in his life. The skirt was far too short, his legs were cold and his hair felt strange pulled back into that little strawberry clip, and the makeup made him sneeze. He made a vow there and then to never, ever piss Chie off again. Behind him Yu was chuckling at something and Kanji was muttering darkly to himself.

“You look fantastic, senpai!” giggled Rise, as she helped Yukiko applying Yu’s makeup. Yu smiled up at her and Yosuke wondered how the hell he managed to be so calm about this. If anything, he looked like he was enjoying himself. He was platting the long grey wig into pigtails. He’d definitely done this sort of thing before, Yosuke realised.

Who would have thought that the shy, reserved transfer student who had studied his feet when King Moron had introduced him to the class at the beginning of the year could have blossomed into someone so confident and carefree like this? As Yosuke watched, Yu looked over at him and smirked, “oh, you look so cute, Hana-chan!”

Yosuke retorted in kind and had hidden his face in his hands but when he peeked through his fingers, Yu was still watching him. He only vaguely remembered that part, or what was said after that. All he remembered from the day after that was Teddie prancing in, dressed in that damned stupid ‘Alice’ costume with his long blond wig. He sparkled at them all, his blue eyes huge and excited in his face. Naoto trailed behind him, blushing at the compliments being shot her way at her handiwork.

He couldn’t remember words or motions after that. He’d gone on stage and had played a part, but he didn’t know what he was doing. He found it impossible to think straight, and even after Teddie had won, and the girls had been in the beauty pageant, he’d hardly noticed. He couldn’t even remember what Chie had looked like, or what Rise had said. He was at total war with himself. He shouldn't have been feeling so proud.

\---- ----

He didn’t talk to Kanji very often. In all honesty, the boy still scared him but there were rare occasions when they would seek each other out. There were things that girls just didn’t understand. Yu was in the hospital room, holding tightly onto Nanako’s hand, willing her to keep breathing. The girls were with him, milling about the room, trying not to cry, attempting to comfort him. Kanji had followed Yosuke from the room and they sat side-by-side on those horrible chairs in the corridor. They didn’t need to speak; it was quite easy to gauge what the other was thinking.

If they had been girls, or maybe if either of them had been Yu, they would have had an arm around each other, but they were both awkward young men, both desperately determined to appear to be masculine, so they unconsciously leaned their shoulders together and took what support they could from that.

Teddie didn’t understand the concepts of men and personal space very well. He saw the world only in black and white and couldn’t see the grey in between. He arrived late and was openly upset. He rushed from Nanako’s room in tears and had made a beeline for Yosuke, or rather a beeline for Yosuke’s arms.

He sat there, scrunched up next to him, head buried in his shoulder, weeping and frightened because he didn’t understand what was happening, and scared because he didn’t know what to do and all Yosuke could do was embrace him, rubbing his back gently and whisper reassurances into his hair. Strangely enough, Yosuke couldn’t remember feeling embarrassed at all – perhaps on a subconscious level, he had realised that at that moment Teddie needed him, and that surely outweighed any other concerns he may have had.

In any event, he had the feeling that Kanji understood completely.

\---- ----

He remembered the feeling of panic so clearly and he never wanted to feel that way again. He had called Yu immediately and together they’d called the team together and had looked everywhere for Teddie but he had gone. Yu invited him to stay over after that, and he’d agreed. He realised then that maybe he had come to rely on Yu the way that Teddie had relied on him, and that made him feel strange, like he was the one missing something.

“I think you like him.”

Yu’s words came in that same soft, teasing way they’d come on that June day back at the food court, but this time Yosuke didn’t say anything in response. The something missing fell suddenly into place. He had been too caught up in the realisation that maybe, just maybe, Yu was right to notice the sadness in his best friend’s gaze.

He never admitted anything, but when Teddie returned he’d hugged him close and made the dumb bear promise to never, ever leave him like that again. He had the impression Teddie didn’t quite understand the level of his anxiety, but he did take it as read that from now on he _could_ share Yosuke’s futon.

\---- ----

“Wow… your world is… it’s beautiful.”

Teddie smiled brightly up at him. “I told you so, sensei!”

Yu had laughed and had ran off to join the others paddling in the lake. Yosuke watched him go, and smiled. It was a fitting send off for their leader. Tomorrow everything would change, Yu would leave them, maybe forever and the team would disband, Teddie would return to the TV world and would leave him.

It was something Yosuke didn’t want to think about. The world was too beautiful to be clouded with such morose thoughts. He sat on the warm grass and leaned his chin on his knees.

“Yosuke…?”

He’d not realised Teddie was still there – he’d assumed that he’d ran off to join the others. Teddie was still in that dumb mascot suit – eyes wide and unblinking and a soft sort of smile on his face. There was a sort of sadness to it all he thought as Teddie shuffled closer and sat beside him. He pressed his shoulders against him and Yosuke realised that he was cold. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders without thinking about it too much. Teddie leaned against him gratefully.

Yosuke remembered the colour of the sky and the scent of flowers on the breeze. Together he and Teddie had watched the others playing in the water, laughing and joking. It was only then that he realised Teddie was crying. 

He had pulled away slightly and Teddie had looked up at him. His eyes were bright and full of sadness and hope. “Can… can I still stay with you, Yosuke?”

Yosuke remembered that he’d heard Yu’s voice in his mind at that moment, swirling about like a distant memory. ‘I think he likes you… ; he remembered what it felt like to depend on somebody, and what it meant to be the one who was depended on and perhaps it was then that the pieces truly came together. 

He remembered the reflection of the sun glittering on the distant water and the sound of laughter drifting though his consciousness. Teddie was watching him expectantly, hopefully. Liking maybe was not the real word he felt. The word was more akin to love but something more nuanced and meaningful than that. Maybe, he’d thought with an odd sense of curiosity, this is what his father had felt when he was a child. Maybe that awesome, wonderful, terrifying love had settled upon him when Yosuke had first looked up to him.

And he remembered the promise Teddie had made.

“Dumb bear.” said Yosuke, “I made you promise not to.” And hugged him close.

It took Teddie a while to realise that Yosuke was only answering his question.

**Author's Note:**

> Still not entirely convinced this is quite how I wanted to portray the relationship but oh well! Hope you enjoyed reading it :)


End file.
